Getting Around Waterloo Region By Bicycle

bike lanes, bike lanes, bike lanes

Last week, my wife was in Montreal and took this picture of some bike lanes. I love the curb between the bike lanes and the car lanes! It makes me long for similar infrastructure here in KW. It also makes me want to throw my bike on a train and go to Montreal, just to ride in the bike lanes! Of course I could also just rent one of the bixi bikes and tour Montreal.

Another thing I like in this picture is the markings telling cyclists which way to cycle. I know this sounds like a small thing, but I live on a street with bikes lanes, and I frequently run into people cycling the wrong direction in the bikes lanes. I’m not sure why people ride in this fashion. It can be quite dangerous! One day last week, when car traffic was very heavy, a cyclist was riding the wrong way in the same lane I was riding in. We both had to stop. I asked him why he was riding the wrong way on the road. He said he hadn’t known that cyclists had to ride on the proper side of the road. Education would probably help with this problem, but painted directional marking would be great too!

I commute to work via Margaret Avenue, so have been eagerly awaiting the planned bike lanes. Early this week, white dots marking where the bike lanes are going to be appeared! I am very happy about this. The road is plenty wide enough for bikes lanes. Anything that separates cars from where I cycle is a good idea in my book! I’ll be really happy when they paint the permanent lines on the road. Now, if only it weren’t quite so bumpy!

Not sure about raised segregated bike lanes, but they should be easier to maintain than Montreal’s segregated bike lines at grade, and Montreal does have winter. I’m pretty sure they plow the Maisonneuve bike path (pictured).

Unfortunately, taking the bike on the train is not a viable option if you’re leaving from Kitchener. The Kitchener to Toronto train usually doesn’t have a baggage car and VIA Rail won’t let you take your bike on a train without a car. (I learned this from experience. Even folding bikes are no good. I lucked out because the train I was trying to take actually had a baggage car. I don’t see why this is the case given that GO Transit is fine with it, but VIA is actually cracking down on carry-on baggage too.)